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1983 Topps football card of former pro football receiver Drew Pearson, who played 11 years in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. He was a three time All Pro, three time Pro Bowler, a member of the NFL’s 1970s All Decade Team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. Pearson was a member of the Cowboys’ Super Bowl XII-winning club and was on the receiving end of Roger Staubach’s “Hail Mary” pass in the 1975 playoffs. Pearson, along with Michael Irvin, Dez Bryant and current Cowboy CeeDee Lamb, compose the “88” club, since all 4 wore that jersey number in Dallas.

1998 Upper Deck rookie football card of former NFL wide receiver Hines Ward, who played 14 years in the league, all with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and helped the Steelers to a pair of Super Bowl wins, capturing the game’s MVP award in Super Bowl XL. Ward was named to the Steelers’ Wall of Honor and also the franchise’s All Time Team. Since retiring as a player, the borderline Hall of Famer has dabbled in coaching at both the pro and college level, and is currently the head coach and general manager of the San Antonio Brahmas of the revived XFL.

1974 Topps football card of former pro football quarterback Roger Staubach, who enjoyed a stellar 11 year career in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. After winning the Heisman Trophy at Navy and serving his 4 year military commitment, he joined the Cowboys and led them to 4 Super Bowls, winning a pair. “Captain America” was a six-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl VI MVP, NFL Man of The Year in 1978, and was voted to the NFL Team of The Decade for the 1970s and the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All Time team. He was also dubbed “Captain Comeback” for his many come-from-behind victories, and his late game throw against the Vikings in the playoffs was the first to be coined a “Hail Mary”. Also known as “Roger The Dodger”, Staubach was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

1979 Topps football card of former pro football linebacker Merv Krakau, who played 6 seasons in the NFL, 5 of them for the Buffalo Bills. His best season was in 1976 when, as the Bills’ starting middle linebacker, he led the team in tackles and was second in the entire NFL in fumble recoveries with 6. Krakau was out of the game for 5 years when he came out of retirement in 1983 to play a season in the USFL for the Tampa Bay Bandits.

1967 Topps football card of former pro football defensive end Howard Kindig, who played 10 seasons in the AFL and NFL. Half of that career was spent with the Buffalo Bills during their lean years of the late 1960s, but he was a member, the long snapper, of the undefeated Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins in 1972. He also played briefly in the World Football League. After retiring as a player, Kindig ran a real estate and appraisal company.

1966 Topps football card of former pro football back Keith Lincoln, who played 8 seasons in the American Football League, mostly with the San Diego Chargers. He was one of the AFL’s brightest stars, a five-time league All Star and championship game MVP when the Chargers won the title in 1963. Lincoln was the victim of the “Hit Heard ‘Round The World” when he was tackled by Buffalo’s Mike Stratton in the ’64 title game, but then played briefly with the Bills at the end of his career.

2021 Panini Prestige Xtra Point college football card of current Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin, who recently gained national attention for his miraculous recovery from collapsing on the field during a game suffering from cardiac arrest. Hamlin was a mid-round draft pick from Pitt who took over the starting safety position when Micah Hyde was injured. Whether he is able to continue his football career remains to be seen, but his survival from the incident is nothing short of a miracle.

2003 Bowman Chrome football card of former pro football wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who enjoyed a 14 year career in the NFL for 4 different teams. He spent the first 7 of those seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, where he was named offensive rookie of the year in 2003 and was selected to 3 Pro Bowls. He won the prestigious Walter Payton Man Of The Year Award in 2015 while with Baltimore, and was a member of the Ravens’ 2012 Super Bowl winning team.

Logo of a college football team that plays in the Southern Conference, the Virginia Military Institute Keydets. Their program began play way back in 1873 and they’ve captured 8 conference titles, and also appeared in 24 bowl games (although they’ve won only 6). VMI alumni who have played pro football include Joe Fortunato, Bobby Thomason, Mark Stock, Sam Horner, Joe Muha and Bosh Pritchard.

1964 Philadelphia football card of former pro football defensive back Jim Steffen, who enjoyed a 7 year career in the NFL with Detroit and Washington. Known as a ferocious tackler, his time in the NFL was riddled with injuries. They included a punctured lung, broken clavicle and broken ribs. His last year with the Redskins was 1965 but he attempted a comeback in 1967 with Dallas but suffered a knee injury in training camp. The Redskins brought him back in 1968 but he broke his arm in a preseason game. Steffen died in 2015.